It’s Been 100 Years Since the Spanish Flu. Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic?

The Spanish flu was an epilogue to World War I, ultimately claiming more lives than the conflict itself. Governments, many still recovering from the conflict, raced to produce new ways to diagnose, treat and contain the outbreak. They ultimately transformed the way in which pandemics and other mass outbreaks of illness are responded to today. What have we learned about the Spanish flu? How did it transform public thinking about sickness in 1918? And are we ready for the next Spanish flu?

Join Future Tense for a conversation about the Spanish influenza and the looming threat that modern pandemics pose, featuring virologist-epidemiologist Dr. David Morens, infectious disease expert Dr. Inger Damon and Slate science editor Susan Matthews. The reception and registration will open at 6 p.m., and the conversation will start at 6:30.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America and Arizona State University.

Participants include:

• Dr. David M. Morens, senior scientific advisor for National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Dr. Inger K. Damon, director of the Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Moderated by Susan Matthews (@susanematthews), science editor for Slate Magazine. 

Follow the conversation online using #FTspanishflu and following @FutureTenseNow.